One of the most overlooked drivers of successful change is conditioning – the process by which people learn to associate their actions with cues and outcomes. Understanding how conditioning works can dramatically improve how you design and deliver change programs, helping employees embrace new behaviors more quickly and sustainably.
How Conditioning Shapes Behavior
Conditioning happens through repeated associations:
- In classical conditioning, a neutral cue becomes linked with an emotional or behavioral response (ex: the notification ding of an incoming email creating anxiety).
- In operant conditioning, the behaviors that are followed by rewards will increase while those followed by punishment or no reward will decrease.
Change efforts often fail when these associations are ignored – or worse, when they unintentionally reinforce resistance to change.
Strategies That Drive Successful Conditioning
- Consistent, positive reinforcement of desired behaviors creates habits that stick.
- Immediate feedback connects the behavior with its consequence, strengthening learning.
- Emotionally engaging experiences (ex: a kickoff event with a compelling “why” behind the change and celebrations of early wins) build strong positive associations with change.
- Modeling – leaders visibly demonstrating desired behaviors – reinforces norms through social learning.
- Training – equipping employees with the knowledge and skills required for the change increases confidence and influences the identity shift often necessary for transitions and transformations.
- Organizational design – adjusting current procedures, processes, pathways, and decision-making frameworks helps ensure the new behaviors are as easy as possible to do.
These align directly with ADKAR’s critical stages:
- Awareness & Desire: Emotionally compelling reasons for change help people understand why change is needed and can increase their desire to participate. The key is to understand the audience so well that you know exactly what to highlight as the most important benefit(s) of the change.
- Knowledge & Ability: Immediate, consistent reinforcement, along with org design adjustments, training, and leader role modeling help people learn, practice, and apply new skills.
- Reinforcement: Appreciation and recognition solidify new behaviors by making them socially safe to adopt and apply.
Pitfalls to Avoid
- Inconsistent messaging or rewards confuse employees and weaken trust.
- Delayed recognition or consequences reduce the link between actions and outcomes.
- Overreliance on punishment can breed fear or disengagement instead of motivation.
Rewiring Old Conditioning
Just as behaviors are learned, they can be unlearned through:
- Extinction – removing old rewards for undesired behaviors.
- Counterconditioning – pairing new behaviors with positive outcomes.
- Gradual exposure & practice – building comfort and confidence over time.
The Role of Developmental Readiness
Remember: individual readiness for change varies by experience, age, and context. Younger employees often adapt quickly through social learning, while more experienced team members may need cognitive reframing alongside behavioral practice.
Bottom Line:
Conditioning is central to human behavior and a major part of successful change management. By intentionally designing programs that use consistent, positive reinforcement aligned with the ADKAR model, you can help employees build lasting new habits, accelerate adoption, and make change truly stick.
About the Author
Jessica Walter is a strategy partner and trusted advisor to senior executives looking to create energized, high-performing teams. With 20+ years in executive industry leadership and consulting, she specializes in uncovering the root causes of culture, engagement, change management, and communication challenges and crafting actionable strategies to drive sustainable turnarounds.
Author of Shifting the Energy: How Love Leads Remarkable Teams, Jessica has guided more than 30 organizations through complex culture shifts and shared insights from research involving over 200,000 employees. Her work has been featured at leadership and psychology conferences and in publications like HR Director and Training Magazine.
Jessica holds a master’s in Leadership and Business Ethics from Duquesne, studied Executive Influence at Wharton, earned a bachelor’s in Mass Communication from Towson, and maintains multiple certifications in coaching and organizational assessments. Based near Gettysburg, PA, she is the proud mom of a former U.S. Army Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division.
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